Saturday, April 4, 2015

This weeks' roundup of industry news is mostly serious stuff about the differences between NFV and SDN, the benefits of C-RAN, demographics of people who drive connected cars, and imagined 5G use cases. But, with just a bit of foolishness added in given the numeral associated with Hump Day as a new month got underway.

NFV and SDN: What’s the Difference Two Years Later?Although sometimes referred to interchangeably, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) play distinct but complementary roles in telecom networks. Increasingly, they are coupled in network evolution deployments, hence the confusion. SDxCentral article.

Analyst Angle: C-RAN generating new business opportunitiesCloud RAN (C-RAN) is the latest frontier for operators seeking ways to cost-effectively add density to their networks in metro areas. This does, though, change the fundamental architecture of cell sites. RCR Wireless article.

EMEA: GfK talks connected carsWho drives connected cars? Why are they attracted to this new role for technology in their lives? GfK took on that topic in a study of drives in Brazil, China, Germany, Russia, U.K., and the U.S. and found the demographic to be one mostly of car owners (as opposed to leasers) who commute to work by car and are early adopters of technology generally. RCR Wireless article.

Building 5G networks without the band aidIn attempting to plan for 5G, the mobile industry is mostly preparing for an imaginary future. At least, they are starting from use case scenarios and then moving on to technology requirements. Fierce Wireless article.

Jarich: Q1 2015 - 3 months that changed telecom forever5G? That's so last year. U.S. should be focusing on 6G. Everybody loves the net neutrality ruling. Someday, the smartwatch you invest in now will help fund your child's college education. Price wars are good for everybody. Say what? April Fool's! Fierce Wireless article.

In her role as Senior Marketing Writer at Accedian, Mae blogs, manages social media strategy, and produces a variety of collateral focused on thought leadership around telecom industry news and trends. She has more than 15 years of journalism and marketing experience, covering business-to-business technology, including telecom, for a variety of organizations including TMCnet.com and Ziff Davis. Mae holds a B.A. in communications from Thomas Edison State College.